The Rise Of Dormobiles
The Dormobile and other commercial vehicle conversions sprouted from the increasing popularity and affordability of the car, and more importantly van with the masses. Commercial vehicles were becoming more commonplace for independent tradesmen to own rather than just being company owned delivery vehicles, and were starting to be used as family transport and in some cases living accommodation for the owners, with people putting cushions and mattresses in the back of the vans.
Martin Walter Ltd was one such company that realised the potential for purpose equipping vehicles with features that made them practical and usable as a motor-caravan. The company had been founded centuries earlier as a harness manufacturer for horses, that followed the transport theme and adapted to building carriages, then coaches, and with the introduction of motorised transport it progressed to building bespoke bodywork for early cars.
The first real Dormobile came about when Martin Walters got hold of a Bedford CA Van, that was offered in one particular variant that allowed the seats to fold into a bench seat for sleeping. This soon progressed into fitting further practicalities such as a hob, and the elevating fibreglass roof cover that allowed owners to stand up inside, and eventually they offered extended roofs featuring bunk beds. All this and a car that could be used at other times as its original commercial vehicle role – This brought motor-caravans into the reach of the general public for the first time.
Martin Walters became very successful in a short period, employing up to 800 people, and while the Dormobile was originally a brand name applied to the conversions, the company changed its name to Dormobile (Folkestone) Ltd.
Models were produced on many different commercial platforms, with the car typically ordered from the manufacturer, delivered new to Martin Walters Ltd, who then carried out the individual conversion to the customers own specification, with everything being tailored to their needs, with different options for Roofs, beds, seating, kitchens, refrigeration etc all customisable. Kits were also sold to overseas companies for fitment to selected models such as the VW Camper in the US.
And The Fall…
The main cause of the decline in sales was the move away from UK holidays and the advent of cheaper air travel in the 70′s meaning that UK camping holidays fell out of favour when a trip to Spain and nicer weather became affordable for the general public. This was combined with the introduction of VAT on the cars, which were previously VAT exempt pushing the prices up heavily, and the company focused its much reduced workforce on building small buses & coach conversions. Eventually the company encountered cash-flow problems and closed in the 1990′s.
Finally a big thank you to the guys at Orangewheels.co.uk who supply new Volvo Cars for their assistance in providing free information and help with this site design.